Automatic feed for die machining apparatus



Dec. 16, 1952 MacMEANs ETAL 2,621,448

AUTOMATIC FEED FOR DIE MACHINING APPARATUS Fild July 5, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Dec. 16, 1952 ao 1 2,621,448

AUTOMATIC FEED FQR DIE MACHINING APPARATUS Filed July 5 1951 v bweniofs': #4252441 Mau /[2N5 42d (4425/1/22 J. 052220525722,

4 ,4) mwg; 442% Patented Dec. 16,- 1952 UNITED 2,621,448 AUROMATIG FEED FOR DlE MACHINING APPARATUS -Oherdoe ten-University Heights, Ohio acMeans, Bedford, and Clarence I.

signtors reunited tate 'pb w'n seem-cit mummies Application-July 3, 1951, Se tifiiaNP- ,2M 0, ,4

to manually place each die blank to be processed in the chuck of themachine and then remove it after, the hole therein had been lapped. -.The i e vwas pped automa ic l l t e e a lapping operation and remained inactive until the die was replaced by the operator. Qne operator usually .attendedlto several machines so that production time was lost ,cwhenever va machine completed its operationwhile thetoperator was busy with another machine. I his occurred quite frequently.

It is an object of our invention to ,elirninateloss of production time and ,otherwiseyspeed up the machining of dies,by providing a de'vice for, feeding rough dies to and ejecting. processed, dies from a wire-drawing -,die propessing ,machine which device is fully automatic in operationv and is actuated by an element of the die processing machine itself.

The invention will be fullyapparent from the following detailed disclosure and the. appended lapping machine principally of; the sametypedisclosed in the.above,mentioned Kutzler patent. The machine shown differs somewhat however, from the Kutzler machine i in; that itis provided with the automatic..chuck which is the; i bject of the Richard ea ate a p cat n Seri l 85 ;fi. June 3 1,95 1.- w-P a mo and ihl 'f utgmet eflfiuk h l complete operationl and arrangement of parts of the chuck are described in the Coan application been indicated by the reference nurhe ls 2 and it ,is not thou htnnecessary to repeat the .detaileddescriptionjhere except to point out that en- 1 lle mkmeec u t fltte lte il el release orgrip fazworkpiece heldtherein by de- P sin ,Ieisling I tl fil 1.3 The n e i i nat b h r l-cremelnumet l d n fii 9 ap atio o de o mpar gre ter-cla it s 19 59 s r n ndt g oi enfusiqn t es m efrence numeralshave been applied to tli''v rious parts of the @Kut'zler die lapping machine f Sl dwn in Fi gure lasth'ose used in the above mentioned Pa en wh eihe, e eme t Q 'Q r, invn an .e gve' -wi Y t e lel cent vnl I39 which- 1s. reierred to above.

)The base I of thedie' lapping machine, as shownihliigure 1, is mounted on a platform H12 which is suitably supported by legs HM whichin turn arevbolted to a base plate 106. A dieblank storage rack or'magazinehljtlfl, consisting of an open top rectangular trough, may besuppbr'ted in an angular position by"meansof legs [I0 and 112 vhichare ffastened at their lower endsto the base plates l and- HI-2 respectively. Elie" rack is preierably of a width equal to the iameter of the casings. of the die blanks being processed. The lower end of raclrlllfl terminates in a right- I 1e p ocl-:et section H 1 whiicl 'fis' centerjed iinmediately above the chuck 2'1 and is mad eiup' of extensions of the threesides 'of rack l'08fas shown Figure 3. The back side of the ea es min of th ls'vi f n curved on a radiusequal to theradius' of'the casings ofv the die blanks being, processed by; the .l l in .A s r n o fi i nte at the orner of pocket e erv sasatbhfimng and centering means for, the dies: as they enter the pocket hem rits. The exit e'nd llaf f p ocket ld is at rightrangles to the entrance end 40 an 9ns it1' f- 521 1 t f u ts i wh c sir n t e rpqe s die gint boril ls enl ain t 20, af theye eleie t r m h huc Q .Peksi, st e i U4 s tilp ortedhvla le I? whi b l e 9 thes I ndfinge .U Q is Pi Q to base II In the present invention, chuck. 2'| is actuated,

A l h n mt 134, c nt o s the e din vc A die blankslw from the track, 1 08 to" .thejchubk '21 and consists of a smallplate member lsepivot- 2,e21,4ss r 3 ally mounted to the underside of rack I by means of a bracket I38 and two U-shaped pin members I40 and I42 pivotally mounted on plate I30. The ends of the U-shaped pin members I40 and I42 project through suitable openings in the bottom of rack I03 and serve as stop means for the dies carried therein. Gate mechanism I34 is also actuated by means of the air cylinder I through a linkage consisting of a rod member I43, pivotally secured to the plate I by a yoke I40, and a sleeve member I48 pivotally joined to the arm I30 by means of a yoke I50. A pin I52 extends laterally from the end of the rod I44 and is carried in a slot I54 of the sleeve I to allow a predetermined amount of downward travel to take place by the arm I30 before it reaches the end of the slot I54 to cause actuation of the gate mechanism I34. Pin member I40 is maintained in raised position with its upper edge above the bottom of rack I08 during the initial downward travel of arm I30 by means of a tension spring I50. Spring I also raises the pin I40 when the arm I30 starts its upward travel from its lowermost or chuck opening position. When the ends of U-shaped pin member I40 project upward through the bottom of rack I08, while the ends of member I42 are flush with the bottom of the rack I00, as shown in Figure 1. The distance between members I00 and I42 is equal to the diameter of the die casings carried by the rack. With this arrangement, it can be readily seen that only one die blank is allowed to be fed from the rack I08 to the chuck 21 upon actuation of this gate mechanism because pin member I42 will hold back the succeeding die blanks in the rack when gate I34 is open and pin member I40 is in the retracted position.

Air valves I08, I00 and I02 are fastened to legs I04 and I04 and are operated through the movement of the lever I30. A lever arm I00, which is pivotally secured to the leg I04 by means of a bracket I00, has a spring loaded dog I10 attached thereto which actuates the valve I58 on the downward stroke of lever I30. Lever I30 bears against the end of arm I00 and depresses the same causing the dog I10 to engage the plunger I of the valve I53 to actuate it. Further downward travel of the lever I30 causes the arm I00 to contact the plunger I13 of valve I00 to actuate it at the completion of the downward stroke of lever I30. Dog I10 pivots past valve I58 without actuating it when the lever I30 travels upward. Arm I00 is brought back to its starting position by means of a tension spring I12. A dog I14, which is fastened to the lever I30, actuates plunger I15 of the air valve I02 at the completion of the upward travel of lever I30 and pivots past this plunger without actuating it when the lever moves downwardly. The lever portion I11 of the dog I14 is pivoted as at I19. An abutment wall IOI is provided on the dog for limiting the movement of the lever portion in the clockwise direction while permitting relatively free pivotal movement in the counterclockwise direction. This arrangement makes it possible for the lever I11 to pivot past plunger I10 without actuating it on the downward stroke of the lever I30. When the lever I30 moves upwardly, the wall IOI causes the lever portion I11 to remain rigid so that the plunger I15 is actuated.

A four-way air valve I10 is mounted on a bracket I18 which is bolted to the top of the support 2 of the die lapping machine 99. An actuating lever I80 for the valve I10 is pivotally mounted .4 on the bracket I10 immediately below the valve plunger I02.

As described in the Kutzler patent, when the lapping operation is completed a projection (not shown) on the rod 1 strikes a limit switch (not shown) which, by means of a solenoid rocks a. shaft 26. The movement of the shaft 20 moves a bellcrank 25, which is keyed on to the shaft 20 adjacent one end, far enough to move the ends of levers I0 and 20 far enough in a radial direction away from the ratchet wheel II, to completely free all of the pawls from the ratchet teeth of the wheel II, this completely frees the rod 1 from restraint so that the spring I0, which constantly biases the rod 1 upwardly, moves the rod 1 abruptly upward. Valve I10 is actuated by the rod 1 when it is jerked upwardly.

Actuation of air valve I10 by the rod 1 directs air into the top of air cylinder I20 thus causing lever I30 to be pulled downwardly. The downward movement of lever I30 causes chuck 21 to release its hold on die W and raise the die upwardly free of the jaws of the chuck. Further downward movement of the lever I30, as explained above, causes the air valve I58 to be actuated. Actuation of the air valve I50 directs air into an air cylinder I84 which is positioned above and behind the chuck 21. The piston rod I00 of the cylinder I projects through the die lapping machine support 2 and is guided by means of a bushing I88 to a point just behind pocket H4 and on the center line of the chuck 21 and trough IIB. Actuation of the air cylinder I04 causes the piston rod I00 to move forward and push die W out of the chuck 21, past finger H0 and into the die container I20 positioned underneath the end of the trough II8.

Immediately after the actuation of air cylinder I04 and the ejection of the die from the chuck 21 and prior to the actuation of air valve I00, gate I34 is opened and a die is allowed to slide from the rack I08 into the pocket 4 and onto the upraised pad of chuck 21. Air valve I00 is now actuated which results in the resetting of the four-way valve I10 and the directing of air into the bottom of the cylinder I20 which forces the lever I30 upward thus closing the jaws of chuck 21 on the die in the pocket II4. After the closing of the jaws of chuck 21 and just prior to the termination of the upward travel of lever I30, air valve I02 is actuated which results in the directing of air into an air cylinder I00 which is affixed to the side of support 2 by means of a bracket I92. The directin of air into the cylinder I90 causes the piston rod I94 thereof to move downwardly into contact with the head of an adjustable bolt I00 amxed to the end of a lever I00 which is secured to a shaft 08 of the die lapping machine 03. The downward movement of piston rod I94 causes the lever I98 to be moved a sufficient distance in a clockwise direction to result in the release of a catch 04 from a sear 05. As shown in the Kutzler patent, the catch 00 is keyed to shaft 20 adjacent the end thereof remote from the bellcrank 25. The scar 05 is located in the path of the catch 04 so that when the shaft 20 is rocked to rotate the bellcrank 25 and cause the rod 1 to be jerked upwardly, the catch 04 is rotated and caught by the sear 05. The sear 05 is keyed onto the rotatable shaft 00 adjacent the lever I08. The catch 04, sear 05, and shaft 08 and their functioning, are all described in the Kutzler patent referred to above and are not claimed as part of this invention. A more detailed description of the operation of the die lapping machine is not thought necessary to a clear understanding of the present invention. It will sufiice to state that the release of the catch 64 puts the die lapping machine 99 in operation and causes tool 9 and rod 1 to be fed downwardly until tool 9 passes through the die blank disposed on the chuck 21. When tool 9 passes through the die blank, the die lapping automatically stops and tool 9 is withdrawn from the die as rod 1 moves upwardly to its topmost position where it contacts lever I89 as explained hereinbefore.

While one embodiment of our invention has been shown and described it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims. v

We claim:

1. Apparatus for feeding wire-drawing die blanks and the like to a lever-operated chuck of a die machining device, said die machining device being adapted to hold said blanks while being machined by a rod-supported tool and having automatic means efiective to lift said rod away from said blank on completion of machin ing, and means for starting the machining operation after a finished die blank has been replaced; said apparatus comprising a frame member disposed adjacent said chuck-operating lever, a first power means supported on said frame and connected with said chuck-operating lever, said first power means being adapted to shift said lever to open and close said chuck, a first control means mounted on said frame in the path of said chuck-operating lever, said first control means being adapted to be actuated by said lever at the beginning of its operating stroke, second power means operatively connected with said first control means and disposed on said frame adjacent the chuck and being adapted to eject a finished blank from said chuck when actuated by said first control means, a blank-holding magazine mounted on said frame adjacent said chuck, feeding means mounted on said magazine adapted to feed blanks singly from said magazine to said chuck, said feeding means being operatively connected with said chuck-operating lever whereby said feed means is actuated after predetermined movement of said lever, a second control means mounted on said frame in the path of said lever and adapted to be actuated by said lever upon further movement thereof, said second control means being connected with said first power means and adapted to actuate said first power means to shift said lever to chuck-closing position when actuated, and actuating means mounted on said frame and connected with the machining operation starting means for actuating said starting means.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 characterized by said first power means including a pivotally mounted first fluid cylinder having a piston rod projecting therefrom, said piston rod being pivotally connected at its projecting end to said lever, and a first fluid valve connected to said cylinder for directing fluid into the same for moving said piston inwardly, said valve being disposed in the path of the rod supporting said tool and adapted to be actuated thereby when said tool is lifted on completion of the machining operation.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 characterized by said second control means for actuating said first fluid cylinder to shift said lever to chuck-closing position including a fourth fluid valve adapted to reset said first fluid valve to direct fluid into said first cylinder to move the piston rod thereof outwardly, said fourth fluid valve being positioned in said frame at the end of the path of said lever and being adapted to be actuated thereby after predetermined movement of said lever to open said chuck.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 characterized by said second power means adapted to eject a finished blank from said chuck including a second fluid cylinder having a piston rod projecting therefrom adjacent said chuck, and said first control means connected with said second fluid cylinder including a second fluid valve.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 characterized by said blank-holding magazine including an open top rectangular trough disposed at an angle to the horizontal with its lower end fitted around said chuck; and said feed means including a plate member pivotally mounted to the underside of said trough intermediate its ends, a pair of spaced stop members attached to and projecting from said plate member, the projecting ends of said stop members being adapted to be inserted alternately through spaced openings in the underside of said rack upon pivotal motion of said plate to cause a single blank to slide down said trough onto said chuck, a rod pivotally attached to one end of said plate member, a pin projecting laterally from the end of said rod remote from said plate member, an elongated sleeve having a lengthwise slot in one side thereof disposed around said rod with said pin slidably fitted in said slot, said sleeve being pivotally connected to said lever whereby said plate member is pivoted after said lever has moved a sufficient distance to permit the end of said slot to engage said pin.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 characterized by said means for actuating the machining operation starting means including a third fluid cylinder having a supply line connected thereto and a piston rod projecting therefrom adapted to actuate the machining operation starting means, and a third fluid valve disposed in the supply line to said cylinder and in the path of said lever, said third valve being adapted to be actuated by said lever when the same moves to the position in which the chuck is closed.

MARSHALL H. MACMEANS. CLARENCE J. OBERDOERSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 556,054 Haskins Mar. 10, 1896 1,570,156 Kingsbury Jan. 19, 1926 1,946,429 Smith Feb. 6, 1934 2,191,930 Arms Feb. 27, 1940 2,391,983 Kutzler Jan. 1, 1946 2,462,327 Mills Feb. 22, 1949 

